By William Duncan

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Feb 12, 2013 21:38:00

Neil Lennon's men face a stern test when they welcome the Italian champions to Glasgow but Willie Duncan believes that the Hoops can make life difficult for Antonio Conte's side

Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League table to 18 points at the weekend when they defeated nearest rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle but the Hoops will face a far stiffer test when they welcome Italian champions Juventus to Celtic Park on Tuesday night in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Neil Lennon's men boast a formidable home record in European competition and, having already beaten Barcelona in this competition back in November, the Hoops will be hoping for another memorable European night in Glasgow.

Celtic are rated as 7/2 (4.50) shots with Paddy Power to take a first leg lead to Turin by defeating the Serie A league leaders on Tuesday night.

Juventus, though, will travel to Celtic Park with confidence after enjoying a comfortable 2-0 victory over Fiorentina at the weekend and Antonio Conte's side are rated as Paddy Power’s 5/6 (1.83) favourites to win here while the same firm go 5/2 (3.50) that the first leg ends in stalemate.

Celtic managed to retain the services of top scorer Gary Hooper despite strong interest from Norwich City during the January transfer window and the striker is likely to be pivotal if the Hoops are to take a positive result into next month’s return leg.

Hooper, who has scored an impressive 23 goals in all competitions this term, is available at 13/2 (7.50) with Paddy Power to break the deadlock on Tuesday night while the same firm offer a tempting 23/10 (3.30) that the striker scores at any time.

Juventus, though, should have sufficient firepower to trouble the Celtic defence, having scored in each of their last 15 matches in all competitions and striker Alessandro Matri, who has scored five goals in his last nine matches, is available at an appealing 9/2 (5.50) with Paddy Power to score the opening goal.

It should be noted that as well as the famous victory over Barcelona, the Hoops defeated Spartak Moscow and held Benfica in Glasgow in the group stages of this competition and, so, they should not be written off here.

Celtic look good value at 10/11 (1.91) with Paddy Power (+1) in the handicap market which covers both a home win or a stalemate between the two sides and provides a modest return on investment.

For those in search of a bigger price at odds-against, Neil Lennon’s men can be trusted to secure a draw against the Italian giants at Paddy Power’s tasty 5/2 (3.50) quote in Tuesday’s crunch clash.

Willie Duncan is a freelance sports journalist. Willie, from Edinburgh, has covered Scottish football for over 10 years and he specialises in football betting markets from across Europe. You can also follow Willie on Twitter